STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, intra-subject repeated measurements of which each subject is his/her own control, from year 2012 to 2016 at two tertiary referral centres.
METHODS: Twenty patients with hearing loss who fulfilled criteria for BB and showed good response to bone conduction hearing aid trial were included. Implantations of BB were carried out under general anaesthesia with preoperative computed tomography (CT) planning. Complications were monitored up to six months postoperatively. Subjects' audiometric thresholds for air conduction, bone conduction and sound field at frequencies of 250Hz to 8kHz were assessed preoperatively and at six months postoperatively. Subjects' satisfaction was evaluated at 6 months post operatively with Hearing Device Satisfaction Scale (HDSS) questionnaire.
RESULTS: There was no major complication reported. Mean aided sound field thresholds showed significant improvement for more than 30dB from 500 to 4000kHz (p<0.05). There was no significant change in mean unaided air conduction and bone conduction thresholds pre and post operatively from 500 to 4000kHz, with a difference of less than 5dB (p>0.05). All the patients were very satisfied (>80%) with the implant, attributing to the promising functional outcome and acceptable cosmetic appearance.
CONCLUSIONS: BB implantation surgery is safe and is effective in restoring hearing deficits among patients aged five and above with conductive or mixed hearing loss and single-sided hearing loss.
METHODOLOGY: This study comprised of 249 participants (148 overweight/ obese as a case group and 101 lean participants as controls). The PCR-RFLP technique was performed to distinguish the genotype distribution of Leptin gene polymorphisms. The allele and genotype frequencies were assessed for single and haplotype analyses.
RESULT: Single association analysis of G2548A (P=0.74), A19G (P=0.38), and H1328080 (P=0.56) polymorphisms yielded no statistically significant association. However, haplotype association analysis showed a suggestive indication of AAG haplotype (G2548A, H1328080, and A19G sequence) with susceptibility effect towards obesity predisposition [P=0.002, OR=8.897 (1.59-9.78)].
CONCLUSION: This data on single and haplotype might disclose the preliminary exposure and pave the way for the obesity development with an evidence of revealed susceptibility to obesity.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 43 obese children and 40 normal weight children. Anthropometric body measurements, bio-specimen and biochemistry assays were done. Genotyping of rs9465871 (CDKAL1) was conducted.
RESULTS: The percentages of the CC, CT, and TT genotypes of rs9465871in the lean children were 15%, 42.5%, and 42.5%, respectively. Regarding obese children, the frequencies were 18.6%, 58.1% and 23.3% respectively with no significant statistical difference. Comparison between the CDKAL1 rs 9465871 polymorphism showed that the highest value of fasting insulin was recorded in CC genotype (22.80± 15.18 [uIU/mL] P
METHODS: Antibiotics susceptibility testing, detection of OXAs genes and the biofilm-producing capacity were performed using the Kirby Bauer method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and adherence quantitative assays, respectively.
RESULTS: A total of 80 A. baumannii isolates were mainly obtained from sputum and most of them were resistant to antibiotics. All A. baumannii carried blaOXA-51 gene, yet no blaOXA-24 and blaOXA-58 genes were detected. Fourteen (82.4%) of the 17 meropenem resistant isolates carried blaOXA-23 gene, but it was not found in meropenem sensitive isolates. In addition, sixty (75.0%) of 80 isolates were biofilm producers with 2 (2.5%), 16 (20.0%), and 42 (52.5%) isolates were identified as strong, moderate and weak biofilm producers, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Most of A. baumannii isolates had a high level of antibiotic resistance and had a capacity to produce biofilm.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 11 cases of malignant phyllodes were retrospectively reviewed between Nov 2014 and Oct 2017.
RESULTS: The median age was 45 years old (31- 61 years). The median pathological tumor size was 10.5cm (2-28cm). 6 patients (55%) were premenopausal. 7 patients (64%) were treated eventually with mastectomy and 4 (36%) were treated with breast conserving surgery. 4 (36%) patients had Axillary Clearance done while axillary sampling was done in 2 patient. The remainder 5 (45%) required axillary clearance at a later op. 6 (55%) patients received postoperative radiotherapy. After a median follow up period of 11 months (range 4-33 months), 8 developed local recurrence. The overall 2 year survival rate was 18%.
CONCLUSION: Malignant Phyllodes tumors are rare tumors that occur in fairly young women, when compared with the adenocarcinoma of the breast. They tend to grow to reach large with absence of nodal metastasis. Ultimately surgery is the mainstay of management but with postoperative radiotherapy it can decrease the local recurrence rates in certain presentations however recurrence rate is high and overall survival rates are poor.
METHODOLOGY: A total of 89 patients with gouty arthritis and 100 normal subjects who consented and were recruited in this study. The serum urate and creatinine were measured. The SNP genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP method for rs3733591 and BST 1236 was used as a restriction enzyme to cut the targeted amplicons.
RESULT: SLC2A9 variant was associated with gout, p-value of 0.007, OR=4.713 [95%CI 1.530-14.513], however this association was not significant after adjustment for age and gender with p=0.465 (OR=1.950; 95%CI[0.325-11.718]).
CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the genetic variant of SLC2A9 may contribute to the susceptibility of gout among Malays in Malaysia.